Using Your HCTA Tools

The Disaster Playbook has all the basics you’ll need to complete your disaster prep. Start with the workbook titled Disaster Playbook. It will guide you through the process, and you’ll complete your I Will Thrive Manuals along the way. You have two copies so you can put one in your Go Bag and one in your Stay Bag.

You’ll use the Disaster Deep Dive to learn more about the details of specific disasters and be better prepared for them. It also includes Emergency-Drill-Template.xls which contains templates for Evacuation Drills, Shelter in Place Drills, and a Complex Drill. You can use the info in the e-book and the accompanying templates to create disaster-specific drills for your household. 

We recommend printing the chapters in the Disaster Deep Dive that are most relevant to your area and keeping those sheets with your I Will Thrive Manuals for easier annual review and maintenance. 

To download Disaster Deep Dive and Emergency-Drill-Template.xls, visit your account.

The Disaster Bundle has everything you’ll need to complete your disaster prep with confidence… and without all the wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The primary element of the bundle is the Disaster Playbook. Start with the Playbook, which will direct you to use the rest of the tools when they’re needed. That goes for everything except the stickers; stick those wherever you like! Let your creativity bloom like a rare desert flower.

As you work through the Playbook, you’ll be filling your I Will Thrive Manuals. You have two copies so you can put one in your Go Bag and one in your Stay Bag. You have duplicates of the Important Papers Pack for the same reason. You have two Grab & Go Checklists for redundancy (try not lose either one, though) and for dividing work more efficiently during an evacuation, if you have two main decision makers in your household. 

The Master of Disaster, Disaster Deep Dive, and Emergency Buddy have additional instructions. Scroll down to learn all about them before you begin.

The Emergency Buddy makes it harder to get stuck without a lifeline when things go really wrong. Fill your Buddies out with the info you’ll need if your phone is out of commission and info a first responder can use to help you if you are incapacitated. Personalize each one to the carrier.

If you have kids, make sure they memorize where their buddies are stored and know when it’s appropriate to use them. We recommend emphasizing finding a safe adult as the first course of action for a child in a crisis, and then offering the Emergency Buddy after they are safe. Adults with kids, uniformed employees, and police or security officers are good options for kids to recognize as safe adults if they are on their own.

You have extra Emergency Buddies so you can update your information later or give them out as gifts to friends and family! Let’s get everyone a little more prepared.

After you’ve filled out your Emergency Buddies, it’s time to fold them. Follow the demo and diagram below. Panel “1” is the front cover with the Emergency Buddy title. Fold the card in half on the center score line with the cover facing out. This will align the other two score lines. Fold in half again, with the cover facing out.

You’ll fill out the Master of Disaster so your Official Out-of-Town Contact (OOTC) has all the information they need to help you during an emergency. 

You can fill it out in a browser window or in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Be sure to save your work before closing the window anytime you’ve entered information. (File > Save as)

“Save as” will save your form in the fillable format so it can be edited by anyone who opens it. Use “Save as” every time you alter the document. On the final page, you’ll have an opportunity to write a note in the yellow box and use the blue box to upload an image of your drawing, poem, cosplay tribute, or whatever your group has created to show your thanks.

When you’re done entering information, use “Save as” as usual, and then take an additional step to create the final PDF for your OOTC. We recommend providing your OOTC with an uneditable form, which you can create by exporting your filled form as a new PDF: File > Print > Destination: Save as PDF.

You can then send the PDF to your OOTC by email and also print out a copy for them, if you like.

To download the fillable PDF, visit your account.

You’ll use the Disaster Deep Dive to learn more about the details of specific disasters and be better prepared for them. It also includes Emergency-Drill-Template.xls which contains templates for Evacuation Drills, Shelter in Place Drills, and a Complex Drill. You can use the info in the e-book and the accompanying templates to create disaster-specific drills for your household. 

We recommend printing the chapters that are most relevant to your area and keeping those sheets with your I Will Thrive Manuals for easier annual review and maintenance. 

To download Disaster Deep Dive and Emergency-Drill-Template.xls, visit your account.

These instructions warrant a full page. Get all the info you need to maximize the effectiveness of your Grab & Go Checklists here.

The Important Papers Pack gives you a convenient place to collect your important documents. These sensitive papers should be kept in a locked, water- and fire-proof container in your Go Bag and Stay Bag. The Disaster Bundle includes two copies of this folder so you can keep them in both locations.

The Playbook is designed to make your prep process as smooth as possible. Simply follow along, and you’ll be in great shape. After you get organized, you can choose your own adventure, if you prefer to collect your gear before you make your plans. Either way, save the maintenance and drilling section for last.

The Playbook should be used with the I Will Survive Manual, but you can complete the Playbook’s instructions using your own materials, if you decided against purchasing a Manual.

The I Will Thrive Manual is designed to be your go-to reference during a crisis. Its sections correspond directly to the Disaster Playbook; they make a great team. 

If you’ve purchased a Manual without a Playbook, you can complete the sections simply by following the prompts. We recommend doing additional research to increase your background knowledge, if you decided against purchasing a Playbook.